Our team understands you may have questions relating to your upcoming surgery.
This page features answers to often asked questions, including your surgery date, preparing for your surgery and how to access additional support.
After being informed by your doctor that you require an operation/procedure, you will be placed on the Eastern Health Elective Surgery waiting list.
The timing of your elective surgery is based on the urgency category that your doctor has assigned.
These categories are:
- Category 1: Admission within 30 days desirable for a condition that has the potential to deteriorate quickly to the point that it may become an emergency
- Category 2: Admission within 90 days desirable due to the clinical condition of the patient
- Category 3: Admission within 365 days is desirable due to the clinical condition of the patient
Eastern Health aims to treat patients within these time frames; however, from time to time more urgent cases may result in longer timeframes.
Once you have been placed on the Planned Surgery Wait List for your procedure, Eastern Health’s Surgery Liaison Nurses will contact you with a date.
This may mean you may not be contacted by our Liaison Nurses for quite some time.
To ensure minimal delays, you must notify the Planned Surgery Access Unit of any changes to mailing addresses or contact numbers.
Please contact the Planned Surgery Access Unit or Liaison Nurse using the contact details provided in the letter you received when you are referred to the waiting list.
Eastern Health will aim to give you adequate notice prior to your procedure. If you are unable to attend your scheduled date, you must notify the Planned Surgery Access Unit as soon as possible.
We will attempt to provide a new booking as early as possible. Please make sure that our staff are kept up to date with your current contact details.
Please note that you may be removed from the waiting list if you:
- Defer your procedure on two or more occasions
- Fail to attend on two occasions
- Indicate that you will not be available for treatment for a long period of time
Having surgery is a joint decision between you and your surgeon. If you are unsure about having surgery, you should inform the liaison nurse that you are not ready to proceed and ask for an appointment to see your surgeon.
Eastern Health provides a range of inpatient clinical services to support your recovery. This includes surgical, medical, pharmaceutical, nursing and allied health services (for instance, physiotherapy, dietetics, occupational therapy, social work, speech pathology, podiatry, clinical psychology and spiritual care).
More information on Eastern Health services can be found here.
Changes in your condition or general health may have implications for the timing of your procedure. If there is any change in your condition while you are waiting, please contact the Planned Surgery Access Unit or Liaison Nurse using the contact details provided in the letter you received when you are referred to the waiting list.
Do you sometimes leave your healthcare appointment and then remember all the questions you wanted to ask?
Refer back to the “Information and Resources” tab found on the home page of this information hub.
Alternatively, Question Builder, developed by the Australian Commission for Safety and Quality in Healthcare, is a free online tool
Question Builder, developed by the Australian Commission for Safety and Quality in Healthcare, is a free online tool which helps you think about questions you might like to ask your health professional. It can help you prepare in advance for when you attend your appointment.
The Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights explains the rights that apply to all people in the healthcare setting. The Charter describes what you, or someone you care for, can expect when receiving health care.
Eastern Health supports the diversity of our staff, volunteers, patients and their families, and our communities. We have Disability Liaison Officers at Eastern Health that can support all people with a disability and their carers.
Interpreting services at Eastern Health are free of charge. Patients who have difficulties communicating in English are entitled to a professional interpreter.
Eastern Health strives to ensure all our services are Culturally Safe and welcoming for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
We have a dedicated Aboriginal Health Team for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living in Eastern Health’s catchment area.
You will have a healthcare team dedicated to your safety and wellbeing during your admission. You are also an important part of that team, and we want you and your family to take an active role in planning your care.
We refer to this as Shared Decision Making
We welcome and encourage patients and their families to give us feedback about their experiences. Your feedback is important to us and helps us know what we are doing well and where we need to improve.